Final Fantasy XIII 1. Of High Hopes And Dreams

Hello there, everybody. This is the official 1.2 version of this chapter, with no plot changes what so ever.

I'll rename it **_'Of (High) Hopes and Dreams'._**

So, just so you know, the title is still a reference to a song by The Smiths, who inspired me to write this down in the first place.

Thanks for any reviews.

**_Disclaimer: _**_You know it belongs to Square, so don't bother fighting for it. _

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_There Is A Light That Never Goes Out._

_Chapter 1 ~ Of (High) Hopes And Dreams._

It had been five years since everything came back to normal, and the group had gone back to what their their usual lives used to be before the whole mess ever began. Snow and Serah married as soon as they had set foot on Bodhum again, and bought a huge seaside house with gil that Snow made out of thin air. Sahz and his son Dajh were living not very far from them, and Hope stayed with his father.

The whole group met every year to celebrate the fireworks together, and that one was no different. They would always watch the show from Serah's place and laugh all night long at Snow's often stupid comments. Even if Lightning was unwilling to go, her sister would always insist on it, saying it would be for "everybody's sake".

They were one week from the festival, and Lightning was overloaded with work to cover her holiday break. GC's didn't usually got breaks for major events like that, so she convinced Amodar that she could handle two weeks of work in just one. Of course, that also meant triple shifts and two hours of sleep a day.

That same night, while trying to put her precious hours of sleep to good use, the young woman was awakened by a knock in her door. She groaned and turned in her bed, knowing that her sister had grown the habit of often knock by her door at unholy hours like that at the sake of emergencies of the kind, _"Me and Snow are gonna have to stay out late tomorrow, could you pleeeeease feed the cat on your way home?"._

Ever since she moved in with Snow, Serah would visit her sister at least twice a week, apparently ignoring the fact that people in general, Lightning included, have a tendency to be asleep in the middle of the night. Although, Lightning knew it was the only time she was actually home, and even if she did get few hours of sleep a day, Serah was all the family she had left.

Therefore, as much as Lightning would surely love to murder her sister at times like this, she still got up aimlessly and went to answer the door, expecting to find Serah's cheerful self jumping around sleeplessly.

Much to her surprise, the mental image of her bouncing younger sister rambling on about her god forsaken cat didn't match the one by her doorway. Moonlit silver hair and a pair of bright green eyes stood in front of her.

"Hi, Light." greeted Hope.

The soldier's expression changed from exhaustion and a very little bit of annoyance to one of concern and alert. "Hope", she acknowledged him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, nothing's wrong, don't worry", he replied calmly, the alerted look on her face smoothing up a little. "Your sister, she said it would be easier to find you if I came in an hour like this."

Lightning couldn't tell if she was mad at her sister or glad that Hope was there by her door. She decided for the last one. Opening up a smile, she gently ruffled his hair as she used to when he smaller. He laughed lightly at her.

"What are you doing here? The festival's only in a week." she asked, her hand reluctant to leave his silver strings.

"I just wanted to talk to you before the festival. My mom always said that the fireworks make your wishes come true, so I thought I would try it at least once." he said in a low voice, the intimacy between them starting to get too personal.

Lighting gazed at the now grown boy that now stood by her doorway. In just five years, he has grown enough to be a couple of inches taller than herself, even though he was still a bit too skinny for most boys his age. His eyes were probably the only thing that hadn't change in all that time. Hope still had the same gentle green eyes; the eyes that always made her feel a strange warmth inside her, even in the old days.

She lowered her face after a while, her bangles hiding any feelings that her now caring eyes could give out. "If you say it out loud it won't come true" she said, her voice softer than she intended to.

"I don't think it will anyway…" he replied, stepping closer to her. Lightning looked up to him with confused eyes only to see him smile. Without warning, he pulled her into an embrace, covering her body with his own. She could still notice the smile on his voice when Hope spoke lightly by her ear.

"I'm in love with you… Lightning Farron."

Lightning's eyes grew in surprise and she let out a small gap. Time seemingly stopped as a strange emotion creeped up inside her chest. She could hear his heartbeat and feel his warmth, it was all too real. He broke the embrace and leaned his hand on her cheek, lifting her face until her eyes met his own. "You've always been my guiding light… quite literally, I mean!" he smiled softly as he said it, half of it because of Lightning's lost expression. "I love you, Light."

"Hope… I…" she rambled, still not meeting his eyes, only to be cut off by Hope's soft voice. "It's alright; you don't have to answer me right now. Serah allowed me stay at her house until the festival, so you can give me your answer by then."

Lightning met his eyes, barely believing that strange twist of fate, and Hope smiled lovingly at her, lowering himself to give her a light kiss on the lips.

"Good Night", he whispered to her mouth. Setting his body straight, he gave her one last smile as he turned around and walked into the night.

She followed him with her eyes until his frame was blended with the darkness as her fingers unconsciously touched her lips. "Hope…"

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Review gets a cookie?

Yeah, it does! And guess?

**_ ANY KIND_** of cookie, eh!!!

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PS: It _is_ going to have a chapter 2, by the way...


	2. Because She's Gotta See The Sunshine

Hey there, everybody.

First of all, I'm really sorry about the delay. I've had a very rough week, and even though that's the _lamest_ ever, I'm gonna stick with it. For once, it's true.

So, about this chapter. It's the kind of thing that has to be there, but nobody reads and just jumps to the next chapter (in whole writen fics, that is. Since this one is not fully written, you're gonna have to bear with me)

_**Disclaimer: **Square feeds on innocent, pure blooded bishonens and wonderfully composed piano tunes. Let them live. _

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_Chapter 2 ~ Because She's Gotta See The Sunshine_

Lightning knew she wasn't going to get any sleep that night.

She knew it as soon as she laid her head on her pillow, a short while after Hope left her standing alone by her door staring at the night. Turning in her bed to face her ceiling, she brought a hand to her forehead and thought about what happened. It was all too new; Hope; the scaredy cat that couldn't take one step forward on his own, in love with her? No one had ever been in love with her, and she had never really wanted it. She wasn't a romantic kind like her sister, always dreaming with her shiny knight, that turned out to be a hard headed with ragged clothes.

No, Lightning knew she was nothing close to a romantic. If she was ever to try and define her relationship with Hope, it would surely be a mentor kind of relationship. She was the one who pushed him forward when he couldn't walk the steps with his own feet, and quite literally sometimes. Still, much to her surprise, the replaying mental image of his kiss didn't repulse her, or made her mad. It felt natural; it wasn't like the strange feeling of kissing a brother or even a friend.

What did she really feel about Hope? What was she going to say to him at the festival? Lightning sighed heavily a covered her face with her palms. How would she _ever_ work tomorrow without sleeping? Then, half of her accepting her fate of not being able to sleep and the other half wanting to stop thinking, she got up from her bed and marched into her kitchen, turning on the large TV screwed to the wall and grabbing a bottle of wine from her refrigerator.

She cracked the neck of the bottle into the counter and grabbed a glass, filling it up the edge. Lightning felt a slight easiness fill her head as she drank half of the glass in just a few seconds. She took the broken bottle and a couple more she grabbed randomly from her still open refrigerator and her now barely empty glass to the table and pulled a chair for herself. It was going to be a long night, even if consisted of only a few more hours before she had to go out to work.

With every bit of wine she sipped, Lightning could feel the ache in her heart slowly fade away and give place to drowsiness that was slowly overwhelming her. When she reached the end of the third bottle she dropped her glass on the floor and rested her head parallel against the light wood of her dining table, not even noticing her eyes close.

Lightning's kitchen was already shining brightly with morning light when she slowly opened her eyes, mentally cursing the world for being too bright. She could feel her neck burning, probably due to the fact that she remained in the same position the whole night. When she became able to distinguish shapes from the light, she forced her tired eyes to gaze her TV. The on-screen clock told her she was very, _very_ late for work.

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed, raising her head and her body at the same time, all too quickly. A strong sense of vertigo and nausea hit her hard, forcing her to lie down at her table again. She looked at the TV again and the clock timer went up one minute, as if mocking her. The soldier groaned, turned her head to the other side and supported her body with her arms, leaning against the table.

After a few frustrated tries Lightning gave up and supported her whole body in her kitchen counter. Her head was exploding with so much pain that she found it hard to even concentrate, or speak. She was apparently unable to stand still on her two feet, but could manage walking short distances rather fine.

She took her gunblade from the table nearby and used it as an improvised walking stick to get to her room. Since she had no time to waste, she grabbed her uniform's coat, her boots and her shoulder plate and wore then over whatever it was she was wearing at the time, which, by the way, consisted of cargo pants and a sleeveless white t-shirt.

As soon as she was done she headed for the door, gunblade in hand, knowing she had to show up at work no matter what, due the extra work she agreed in covering for her day off. All the events of yesterday were just a blurry memory, and even if they tried to take a more conscious shape, Lightning _would_ have to deal with it later.

Lightning was never really the popular type within the Guardian Corps, but she was none less respected because of it. Everyone had eventually heard her name once or twice among the lines of 'fast growing career' or 'freak', and people usually want to avoid both. She never mistreated her subordinates, but never showed a single drop of concern for any of them, either. She was cold and distant, and would never fail or stand out of line.

At least, that was their image of her. That's why when her work colleagues saw the surreal image of their sergeant dragging herself up the stairs to Lt. Amodar's office with the help of her gunblade, they all decided to take a collective lunch break and get the hell out of there. The Lieutenant noticed it and opened the door to his office to check what was going on, just in time to see Lightning's over human efforts to climb his stairs.

"Sergeant Lightning reporting to duty, sir!" she saluted and said in her military tone, still trying to catch her breath.

"For heaven's sake, woman, what happened to you?" Amodar asked surprised, and a bit worried.

"I've had a few personal problems, sir, it will not happen again" she responded in the same tone, eyes shot straight forward. Her superior eyed her carefully, and could barely believe his eyes.

Sergeant Lightning Farron, who never missed a day on the job or neglected her paperwork, was now standing in front of him in a condition of pure disarray. Her bangles, which used to be always brushed sideways, were now intertwined with each other forming a rather large mass that fell on her forehead. The cape attached to her coat was wrinkled and uneven, and her boots had quite a few straps hanging loose. Paying closer attention, he also noticed she was apparently having some of a difficult in standing upright.

"Lightning, are you hangover?" he asked sincerely with a faint smile on his face, now simply amused at the situation in hand.

Her eyes immediately shot up to his, trying to say the words her mouth couldn't muster. "Sir, I… I'm really sorry, it will never happen again. I'll understand if you cancel my day off by the end of the wee—"

"Hey, easy there", Amodar laughed at her. "Now, what was your assignment today?"

"Just patrolling, sir, and I will be perfectly capable of performing it.", she responded in her official tone again. "Why's that?"

Amodar ignored her question and hummed loudly as he scratched his chin, seemingly thinking of something. "Say… how about I cover your patrols and you get today off as well?"

"What? But, Lieuten—", Lightning started to argue, only to be cut out again by her superior.

"It's an order", he cut her roughly, his voice assuming a business like tone. Lightning knew there was nothing else that she could do to change his mind. "I don't know how you managed to get here on your own, but you're in no condition to go back by foot. I'll give your sister a call; ask her to give you a ride."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir", she said almost automatically, saluting him once last time, even though she knew they were already past formalities. Amodar got closer to her and put his hand on her free shoulder, true concern in his eyes.

"You go now and get some rest, okay? We'll talk tomorrow." ,he squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

"Thank you, sir. I will.", she said as she turned around to climb down the stairs to his office, a task that seemed a bit easier after climbing them up.

Lt. Amodar watched Lightning carefully descending the stairs with a smirk on his lips. _"What a nice kid…",_ he thought with himself while reaching for the phone. He then went through Lightning's registration file and got her sister's phone number from the 'closest relatives' section.

The phone rang twice before a soft male voice picked it up. "Hello?"

"Good morning, I'm calling on behalf of Sergeant Lightning Farron, with the Guardian Corps. Could I speak with Ms. Serah Farron?"

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_PS: This chapter's title is based on a line of a song by The Strokes. The one who figues it out get's cookie, deal?_


	3. Thought I Heard You Calling My Name

Hey again. Been a while, uh?

First of all, allow me to say that _this_ time around I meant to post it on Friday. Really, it was Ms. Bradshaw's fault. Apart of that, the dream that Lightning has in this chapter is actually her first remembrance of meeting Hope has described in the _Episode Zero: Promise _novellas.

Sit back and enjoy. If you need anything, just let me know.

_**Disclaimer**: Square secretly wished she invented Pokémon, so let's not rip Final Fantasy away from them. It's all they've got._

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_Chapter 3 ~ Thought I Heard You Calling My Name_

It was nearly 10 AM as Lightning stood in front of the Corps' HQ; arms crossed and body leaned on the outer wall of the building, mindlessly watching the movement on the street to spot the cheerful, spitting image of herself that was her sister.

She came to the conclusion that the whole thing wasn't such a bad idea, after all. Surely Serah would make jokes on her to no end, and heaven's forbid Snow of ever coming along with her, but that surely would be all of it. At least she wouldn't have to deal with the whole situation she was in, not yet.

The soldier shot her head skyward and sighed loudly at the mental image of Hope, their conversation the previous night replaying itself for the millionth time ever since and the now usual heartache following close behind. In desperate hopes of drifting her mind from the matter, she unholstered her sword and tried to check for any damage she may have caused to blade for abusing it the whole morning. Her plan of tricking her own mind succeeded after a while, and she soon found it was bit dull around the upper edges, but probably due to the lack of time she had to polish her weapon rather than supporting her weight over it.

Lightning got so immersed in her task that she didn't notice the very familiar silver haired boy rushing across the street to stop panting at her side. "Hey!", he greeted her hastily, barely being able to catch his breath.

Lightning's eyes immediately shot up to him in surprise and she let out a gasp as her sword slipped from her hand, making a small cut in her palm. While half expecting his figure to be a hangover mirage and disappear with the same suddenness with which he popped up beside her, Lightning stood there for some time staring at the young man, her expression slowly becoming one of disbelieve and slight anger.

"What are you doing here?", she asked breaking the silence, the upset clear in her voice.

"I… Serah wasn't home… neither was Snow…", he tried to explained while still trying breath normally, the hurt clear in his voice for not expecting the kind of reaction he got. Lightning immediately regretted being so harsh on him; if she had to be angry with anyone, it would surely be with herself. Of all the things she was still to discover about her feelings for Hope, hate surely wasn't amongst it.

They remained in silence for some moments until she spoke. "Thanks for come running, it wasn't necessary", she tried to mend it with a softer voice. He smiled at her as he lowered himself to gather up her fallen sword from the ground, and stepped closer until the point where she had to tilt her head slightly upwards to meet his eyes. Hope then passed one of his arms around her waist to shelter her sword back into its holster.

"It's alright, I'm just glad to see you're okay", he replied, sadness still in his eyes. While trapped in his awkward half embrace Lightning could feel the words he said to her last night started echoing in her head, those same thoughts that her up at night returning to torment her. Letting her eyes fall from his, she gazed at the floor beneath them and got lost in her own thoughts, knowing she wouldn't be able to run away from then this time around. Sensing her discomfort, he set her free of his grasp and stepped away far enough so that he didn't violate her personal space.

"I'll just take you home and leave, alright? I left a note for Serah, so she can take care of everything you need. You don't have to stick to me the whole day, okay?", he tried to cheer her up, only to find her facing the same spot down the ground, and began to worry. "Light?", he called out to her.

However, as Lightning moved her eyes to look at him, her previously gone vertigo got the best of her. She felt immediately lightheaded as her vision blurred and her body started falling backwards, the last thing she remembered was the sound of Hope shouting her name in despair and the vision of the blue morning sky as her back hit hard against the street floor and she lost conscious.

"_Oh, how cute!"_

_Lightning turned at the merry voice. A mother and son had stopped in front of a transportation container at the pet shop. _

"_You like this kind of thing mom?"_

_"What? But you used to like these too. You'd always stand in front of the store crying, saying 'I want one, I want one!'"_

_"And how many years ago was that?"_

_"Not too long ago... only ten years."_

_Mother and son were both looking into the container. Even from a distance you could tell they got along well. The son's hair was cool silver, while his mother's was a much warmer tone. Even though their hair colors were different, their faces looked alike… They always say that boys usually look like their mothers. His height made him look about fourteen or fifteen years old. The bright orange jacket he wore made him look even more that age. _

_She saw them walking away together in the crowd. They had looked so happy; it made her feel warm inside thinking about them._

_Thank you, Lightning thought, I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation._

Lightning opened her eyes slowly and tried to adjust to the bright light in her apartment for the second time that day. She was lying on the couch, her officer coat neatly folded and placed at the small table in front of her, along a full glass of water and her sword. As she reached for the glass, she also noticed a bandage strapped across the cut in her hand. The girl drank the water and got up, following the slight sound of running water from her kitchen.

As expected, she found Hope mending to the mess she made last night. Both of his white sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, and the bottles of wine she cracked open the day before were nowhere to be seen.

She watched him for a while, then spoke slowly to not to frighten him. "Thank you for bringing me home". At the sound of her voice, he suddenly turned around with worried eyes and placed the plate he was washing back at the sink. He quickly closed the distance between then with his large paced steps and pulled her into a strong embrace.

"Lightning!", he cried with joy, gently crushing her small frame with his own. After a while, he pulled back a little to check condition. "Are you feeling any better?"

Although a little taken back by his ecstatic reaction and his sudden closeness, she still managed to answer his question. "I think I'm fine now." She suddenly noticed how natural it all seemed to be for him. To be close to her, to hug her, to clean her mess…. She didn't have anyone like that around her since her mother died.

Lightning looked into the eyes of the now grown Hope and remembered the first time they met, the time she was dreaming about. He has grown so much in such a short time… Thinking back at their times together, the one thing that she didn't realize was that being around him became natural to her as well. She'd lost track of how many times they won side by side, how many times they fled together; all the times they slept side by side. She wasn't like that with anyone else, not even Serah.

"Light?", Hope called for her softly. She felt so completely carried away by the moment that she could no longer reason with herself. With all of her defenses down, Lightning gazed at him and said to him what she had never said to anyone before.

"Call me Claire...", her voice so soft he might have doubted what he heard. Hope intertwined his hand in her light pink hair and said the words he always wanted to say.

"I'm in love with you… Claire Farron", his voice so soft it would even match hers. He saw her lips open into a heartfelt smile that reached her eyes, and for that moment she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Hope lowered his lips to hers until they were inches apart, looking at each other's eyes tenderly. It was at that particular moment that the front door to the apartment was opened loudly and they found themselves staring at a very restless Serah followed by a mildly concerned Snow, both equally shocked by what they were seeing.

The couples stared at each other for quite a while, until Serah and Snow broke the silence at the same time.

"… Hey, Sis..."

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PS: This chapter's namesake is a line from Joe South's Hush.

Reviews do make my day better!


	4. To See What Spring Is Like

Hello there, everyone.

So, this week was full of tests and essays and things of the kind, but I gladly announce that I'm free now. Almost 1 am, but still always a pleasure to do business with you guys. I really hope you like it.

You see, the strangest thing happened to me. I was at the bus on my way home when a familiar tune hits my ears. Still having the whole soundtrack of Bayonetta on my cell, it randomly decides to play the great 'Fly Me To The Moon' remix, and thus, kicks me off with this idea for the story.

PS: Random fact above. Please, do ignore.

xxx

Disclaimer: _It belongs to Square. Maybe someday there will be a SquareEnix vs. Nintendo title and we'll actually get to see a Final Fantasy VII's remade Cloud face off against that colorful Link from the Ocarina Of Time remake. One can dream, right?_

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_Chapter 4 ~ To See What Spring Is Like_

"Hey, Sis…"

They say that there are many awkward moments of embarrassment in life. Like when you slip on a banana peel on the middle of the street and the world seems to stop and stare. It is an unreal situation; you know deep down that is never going to happen. Because banana peels don't lie around in the street, waiting to be slipped. They're bright yellow spots on a grey ground; anyone would notice them, even in a colorful city like Bodhum. That's why when it happens, you find yourself in a loss of words and even thoughts whatsoever, even if you're not the one who tripped. You can just stare, and then stare back again.

Lightning had never tripped on a banana peel during her entire life, and doubtfully ever will, but she was never the less experiencing firsthand the psychological reactions of it. Because being caught by her sister while entangled in Hope's arms was as unreal and impossible as banana tripping for her. So, for the first few seconds she stared in disbelief, her face still soft with feeling, looking at lot like Serah's. The next moment she was already out of Hope's embrace and in Snow's typical arms crossed pose, her face looking tough with no sign of the previous happiness.

Hope, on the other hand, had probably already slipped on his fair share of bright bananas and was, therefore, no stranger to embarrassment. He just hoped Snow would let him sleep quietly that night, instead of mocking him endlessly and thanking the gods for getting the best side of the family. He felt Lightning break away from his arms, although he still kept them in the same holding position even after a while, as if trying to bend gravity and move the light weight of her body back to him. He eventually set his arms down and looked at her tenderly, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

Snow had dug his hands deep down his pockets and decided to look at his feet from every angle possible, and then back. Serah had both her arms behind her back in that girlish way she always did, and was probably feeling as awkward as her sister. She was the first that dared to break the disturbing silence:

"We, uh, got the note!", she exclaimed desperately. "Are you better, sis? We were worried!"

Lightning looked at her and sighed. "I'm better, it was just some dizziness". She held Serah's gaze for a while and noted the irony of the whole situation. Since they were kids, the younger sister would always get herself into some mess that the more responsible older sister had to get her out of. Destiny played its part and inverted the roles for the first time she could remember. But that doesn't mean that Serah didn't play the responsible role well.

She knew her sister better than anyone in the whole world, and could always say when Lightning had something troubling her mind. Serah could see it in her eyes. Claire's eyes were deeper and only slightly brighter, an indicative of heavy emotions stirring inside her. She noticed with time that her sister and Hope were very close, and that there was always this little bit of something else in his eyes when he looked at her, a little bit of something else that always went unnoticed by her older sister. When the two of them were together in reunions and such they would often move with incredible synchronicity, as if they were planets bound together in the same orbit by the same invisible force.

Serah smiled dearly at her sister and nodded, as if saying _"do try, and if you need anything I'll be here for you". _Claire lifted her lost gaze from the ground upon noticing her sister's movement and the two exchanged glances for a split second. She nodded back in understanding, until the silence was again interrupted by her younger sister.

"Oh, how silly of me!", Serah said while trying to fake surprise with absolute no success whatsoever. "We forgot to feed our cat, didn't we, Snow?"

Snow, who was suddenly shot out of his new found shoe fascination, took a bit of time to realize whatever was happening until he finally opened his mouth to agree with whatever his wife had said. "Yeah…. The cat, yeah…."

Lightning felt grateful for Snow's stupid cat and even for Snow's stupid self for the first time in her entire life as her sister made up more embarrassing excuses about how their cat might die if he didn't eat at least once every six hours, and that she was very sorry but they had to get going. It all happened much to Hope's dismay, who had absolutely no idea of what was happening or what kind of monster cat they had.

"Bye, Hope! See you when you come home, and take good care of my sister!", she said to the puzzled looking young man, as Snow shot out something among the lines of "good luck, kid" and disappeared right after his wife, shutting close the door loudly behind them.

An awkward silence fell among them as Lightning gazed at Hope's direction. "I'm sorry about that." she said, her voice ordinary and dispassionate. He gave her an empathetic smile and waved his hands foolishly around to dismiss what she had said.

"No, I'm the one that should be sorry! I left that note there in the first place…" he apologized, his voice dying down at the end. Hope noticed her expression of unease and moved closer, placing one hand in her shoulder and another at her cheek, not even needing to ask what was wrong.

"I don't want to make you feel like that, Light." She lifted her eyes to his, noticing the name he chose to use. "I want to make you happy. Even if it isn't by my side, with me. Because you _deserve_ it. Snow will be there for Serah now, and you know it. Its time you let it all aside and start actually enjoying spring, and not just stand still as it parades before your eyes."

Lightning's bright blue eyes were vivid in their color as she stood and listened to Hope's small speech. "A couple of days from now, at the festival night, I won't wish for the one I love. I'll wish for her happiness." And with that he kissed her again, sweet like the flower in that spring that she has never seen.

"See you later… Claire." It was the last thing he said as passed through the door and left her to her thoughts of passed springs and broken hearts.

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_Review gets cookie and wonderful song tips!_

_xxx_

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	5. Keep Under Cover

_Hello, readers._

_So, first of all, I guess I do own an apology to you all, Yuffentine did get the best of me, after all. I really hope it turned out to be a good piece, even though there's no literal Hopurai in it. Sorry about that as well, but I really needed something to tear off the rust. Hope you like it!_

**Disclaimer**_: I would never steal a dime from Square. Quite on the contrary, if we feed them enough money they might even be able to do a remake from the whole Final Fantasy VII Compilation._

_ Gospeed.~_

_Chapter 5 ~ Keep Under Cover_

It was a rather late hour in the morning when Lightning woke up that day. She opened her eyes to the bright sunlight that now invaded her room and cast a look out the window, the bright day almost inviting her in; certainly one of her sister's favorite kind. The firework festival would be held that night, and it would surely be one to remember. Eventually she got up and stretched her body, taking up the day's invitation of joining the colorful parade. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad; it was too of a pretty day for anything actually disastrous to happen. There was no use running now, after all. Lightning would take a bath and grant her sister's wish of showing up early for a change. She was going to have to deal with Hope sooner or later, so she might make at least someone happy along the way.

Once in the bathroom, Lightning opened the cabinet and glanced at the extra bottle of aspirin that Hope had left in her kitchen table the last time she had seen him, probably in case she decided to drown herself in alcoholic drinks all over again. She smiled lightly to herself and got in the shower, her thoughts drifting back to a familiar someone almost in instinct.

It had been only two days since she had last seen Hope, but given the unusual events of the week that preceded it, it already felt a bit too much to her. She found herself actually thanking the heavens for the festival to be held that night. Even with all the current lack of order in their relationship, she had grown used to his presence beside her and was longing to see him again, even if in such a fateful situation.

She knew their relationship would change that day, and, with it, her entire life. Whatever the answer she would give him, it would never be the same; there would always be a 'what if?'. He would never again be that young Hope she looked after, but, perhaps, he stopped being that Hope when he came in knock at her door and kissed her in the middle of the night.

Lightning had dreamed about him almost every night ever since. She would dream of the kisses he gave her and of the ones he didn't, and, in her dreams, he would always call her Claire. One night she dreamed that they were making love and it felt so strangely comforting, almost natural. When she woke up, she instinctively turned to the side where Hope had been in her dream and reached out for him, only to grasp the air.

Even her comrades at the Corps were starting to notice it. Lightning would always lose her gaze at a distance, and, if they didn't know her better, they could almost say she was in love, bonded, head over heels. Almost. Since most of her work had been replaced by standing guard in some of the most peaceful areas around the city, thanks to her lieutenant, she usually wondered about Hope during daytime as well. She did it automatic now days; whenever her mind was at ease, her thoughts would drift back to him. '_Certainly because of the whole situation'_, she convinces herself every time. And some of those times, she almost falls for it.

She convinced herself that what she feels for the boy is a deep affection from their time together, and that they know each other so simply because of their traveling days. Her sister said to her once, a couple of years ago, that they would move with incredible easiness around each other, like if he got passed through the walls that she subconsciously built around herself to avoid others, although it would most likely be her sister habit of dreaming up things in real life. But still, each time his lips touched hers, it felt like a totally different Hope; she would never feel so weak, and yet so protected.

Lightning knew that if Serah hadn't storm right through her door at that moment, she would have probably given away to her feelings. It had been the first time she had told her name to anyone, and it was such a personal part of her… She couldn't understand. She never understood the way she acted around Hope, since the very first time she met him. He did something to her; almost as if he caught her off guard every time, making her not think, just act. It went unnoticed at first, and as time went by she had grown far too attached to the silver haired kid.

Still, something inside her simply wouldn't let her throw herself in his arms. She had watched him grow up for five years, until he reached his 19 years old. He was such a dear friend, almost like family to her... However, what Lightning felt for Hope was nothing like what she felt for Serah, and she knew it. It's deep and strong and passionate, and it shocks her to her core; she can feel it in his kisses and in her dreams. But there was still something in between… It's almost as if she fears for him, afraid of hurting him in some way… She was in the military, after all; anything could happen.

She sighed with exasperation. 'Going around in circles is sure going to help in the current situation', she thought annoyed. Lightning got out of the shower and grabbed a towel along the path, making her way to her room to get dressed. She put on her usual light brown turtleneck, although, unlike her uniform, she left it unzipped just above her shoulder blades and not just below her navel. She also dressed up in a pair of khaki shorts and put on her boots. After throwing herself a look over the mirror, she decided she was decent fair enough and left for Serah's place, knowing she probably shouldn't take too long if she was hoping for at least some peace from her sister.

Now, Sergeant Lightning Farron was never one to be intimidated. She had created a military career out of thin air, and earned enough money for both Serah and herself while barely out of her teens yet. Never had anything, or anyone, stopped her from reaching her goal. She was a living and breathing army of one, and there was nothing she couldn't accomplish. With the exception, perhaps, of ringing the doorbell in her sister's house.

Lightning was probably standing there for about five minutes, now. At some point she even pointed her finger at the doorbell, and an outsider might have even mistaken her for someone who was testing his telekinesis powers to open the poor door. Her expression was one of pure focus, as if gathering the courage to face the consequences of her five year long relationship with Hope.

While starting to brood over her situation with Hope, her attention was caught when the door facing her opened to reveal a tall man with light blond hair and a rather worried look. Surely, whatever issues Snow had with his wife's older sister had most certainly been solved during their journey to save Serah, but that didn't mean at all that the so called hero didn't still fear for the worst whenever the tough soldier was around. That particular encounter was no different.

"Um… Hey, sis!" he started and shot his left hand ridiculously up in the air to greet her. He didn't have his usual coat or his bandana on and was wearing a sleeveless white t-shirt and really large shorts.

Lightning, however, didn't answer and could only glare at Snow's goofy smile, immediately hating herself for being caught in such a humiliating scene. That only helped to frighten Snow further, who, subconsciously, began shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"So, uh… It was getting late and you weren't answering the phone, so Serah sent me to pick you up… I mean, before! Now you're here and all, right….. So... was 'up, Sis?" he managed to say without wandering in circles too much. Lightning shot him a glance before going up the small shot of stairs, notifying the fact that she was not his sister probably for the millionth time.

She entered the house only to find Serah in the kitchen with a knife in her left hand and a half cut potato in her right one, a scene she actually found herself missing a lot after her sister got married. They greeted with a warm hug before her sister mentioned for her to sit at one of the tall wooden stools lined up behind the counter.

It was like the events a couple of days ago had never even happened. Lightning knew Serah wouldn't ask or at least hint at it if she wasn't ready to talk about it. And at that particular time, she wasn't. Asking for Hope, however, was the very first thing she did.

"He went to the market for us, to grab a few things for dinner. I didn't really know if could send him to your place to fetch you up, so asked Snow instead. He's grown into a fine boy, hasn't he?"

Lightning was sure she could hear the smile on her sister's voice, even though she was facing her back. "He sure is… ", her voice drifted off. She sighed and confessed to her sister bluntly: "He kissed me."

Serah giggled at this. "I know, Claire. I saw it, remember?"

"Of course, I don't think I'll be able to forget." she said dramatically.

"Aw, come on! You used to do it all the time when we were younger! It's payback!"

Lightning grunted and let out a half smile, the two falling into a comfortable silence within a short time.

"I told him my name, Serah…" she said after a while. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Well," her sister started with another one of her smiles, "have you ever considered the possibility that you might actually be in love?"

Lightning stopped at this question. She had thought about it, of course. It was all of she could think of, to begin with. But no matter how many times she got over with it in her mind, she was never able to sort it out. Every morning when she would wake up and her dreams would merge with reality for a brief second, the answer was yes, she was madly in love with Hope Estheim. She would do anything for him and wanted nothing more than to spend all of her days with him. But as soon as her mind slowly began working again the idea would seen more and more ridiculous until the point where she could no longer remember what made her feel like that in the first place.

She roamed her thoughts for a while and she finally opened her mouth to explain her twisted feelings to her sister, the very origin of her feelings was standing at the door with a couple of paper bags in his hands, the expression on his face resembling very much Lightning's own when Snow found her outside.

"Claire… What are you doing here?"

_PS: Sorry for the cliff-hanger but if I actually dragged out all the way it should have been, I would have never posted it, really._

_Also, on a side note, I could really use a beta for spell-checking. I'm all open to volunteers!_

_- review get's cookie._


End file.

Final Fantasy XIII, Romance